Dredging apparatus.



No. 664,628. Patonted Dec. 25, I900. F. EGAUBERL DBEDGING APPARATUS.

(Application mm mm, a, 1900.

(Ho Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERIC EOAUBERT, oFNEw YORK, N. Y.

DREDIGING APPARATUS.

QPEOIFIGATION forming art of Letters Patent No. 664,628, dated December25, 1900. Application filed March 3, 1900. Serial No. 7,158. (No model.)

To aZZ whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIO EOAUBERT, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings andState of New York, have invented an Improvement in Dredging Apparatus,of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improvement upon the device shownand described in the patent issued to myself and I. M. Hofstad, No.650,674, dated May 29, 190 In said patent a chain-and-bucket conveyorwas employed to raise sand or gravel with precious metals from thebottom of a body of water and a weight-wheel at the lower loop of thechain-and-bucket conveyer served to keep the same vertical and taut andthe said wheel turned with the movement of the conveyer. The device ofthe said patent was only adapted for removing materials to a shortdepth; and the object of my present invention is to be able to removethe materials to a considerable depth,-as it has been demonstrated thatthe layer of sand and gravel becomes richer with the depth down toward aclay stratum.

In carrying out my invention I employ a chain -andbucket conveyor and aweightwheel, a support, and a power-wheel for op erating thechain-and-bucket conveyer, and I employ a tubular body of metalsurrounding the chain-and-bucket conveyor and passing vertically downthrough the water, with the lower edge resting in and upon the sand orgravel at the bottom of the body of water, the same forming awell-inclosure. The conveyer-buckets raise the materials from within thetubular body and the same sinks as the materials are raised, and greaterdepths can thus be reached than are possible by the device of theaforesaid patent. I may employ several of these tubular bodies andconnect the same together adjacent to their upper ends by a platform,which platform may serve to support the operators or the machinery foroperating the chain-and-bucket conveyer. This platform may be removable,so that the tubular bodies may be raised and the apparatus put togetherfor operation in a new place. I may provide openings in similar sides ofthe tubular bodies, so as to let in a small quantity of gravel and sandfrom outside of the same. This will reduce the resistance on one sideand as the tubular bodies descend will cause them to advance andautomatically shift their position. The said tubular bodies may be insections, with threaded couplings so constructed as to be separable,similar to lengths of pipe, in order to facilitate transportation andhandling of the parts.

I provide devices by which the tubular bodies can be drawn upward out ofthe sand. Among these devices I prefer a divisible collar surroundingthe tubular body and which is securely bolted thereto, the said collarbeing provided with arms against which pontoon-floats or air-filleddevices forming floats are adapted to be placed at low tide, so thatwith the rise of the tide the tubular body will be automatically lifted.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation and partial sectionrepresenting my improvement. Fig. 2 is an elevation, and Fig. 3 a planview, showing three connected tubular bodies and their platform and onechain-andbucket conveyer. Fig. 4 is an elevation showing the floatingdevice for removing the tubular body from the sand.

The chain-and-bucket, conveyera may be of any desired construction, andI provide a support I) and power-wheel c for the upper loop of thechain-and-bucket conveyer a, and in the lower loop of the saidchainand-bucket conveyer I prefer to place a weight-wheel d.

The said power-wheel c and the chain-andbucket conveyer may be operatedin any desiredmanner. I have, however, shown a winch device 6.

The tubular body f is preferably open- 4 ended and of heavy sheet-iron,like boileriron, and is of such size as to readily receive thechain-and-bucket conveyer passed vertically through the same. The loweredge of the tubular body is preferably sharpened, and the tubular bodymay be in sections, as shown in Fig. 1, where a sleeve f surrounds onepart of the tubular body and is interiorly threaded, so that the otherpart of the-tubular body is adapted to be screwed into the same injoining up the sections. This construction is for convenience ofhandling and transportation.

I prefer at the upper end of the tubular bodyfto place brackets 2 and aplatform 3,

crossing the same and carrying the support I) for the chain-and-bucketconveyer, there being an opening through the platform 3 to receive theconveyer and through which the same is operated. The tubular body f isfirst placed upright on the bottom of the body of water, and thechain-and-bucket conveyer, the platform-support, and means for operatingthe same are supported by the tubular body, and as the sand and gravelare raised from within the tubular body the same descends by gravity.Oonseqnentlyaconsiderable depth can be reached which would otherwise beunattainable through the devices of the aforesaid patent, or ordinarydredging mechanism.

The material elevated by the chainandbucket conveyer may be deliveredinto any suitable receptacle for after treatment and the separationtherefrom of precious metals; but the same forms no part of my presentinvention.

I prefer to connect several tubular bodies f,and have illustrated suchconnection in Figs. 2 and 3, in which a platform g is built upon andsupported by three tubular bodies. The platform may be put together inany wellknown manner or knockdown condition and supported in any wayupon the top of the several tubular bodies. In this platform there areopenings 4, through which pass the chainand-bucket conveyers down withinthe several tubular bodies. It is of course apparent that the threetubular bodies will be much more stable than it would be possible forone to be alone, the three chain-and-bucket conveyers being operatedeither simultaneously or with regularity, so that about the same amountof material is removed from Within each tubular body to insure the partsmaintaining their proper level. As the sand and gravel are removed theseveral tubular bodies, with their platforms, descend to greater depths,and when all the material available down, for instance, to a claybed-has been removed the bucket conveyers and the supports therefor areremoved to a vessel or float, the platform is taken apart and stored,and the various tubular bodies are elevated and conveyed to a newposition and the parts reassembled for further work.

I may cut away the lower edge or adjacent portion of one or more of thetubular bodies or of those connected in a group, as at 5, Fig. 2. Theseopenings are preferably, and as shown, of a length about equal to thedepth the tubular body is in the sand, and it is obvious that the sameobject will be accomplished by several adjacent openings, one aboveanother. Where this is done the tubular bodies will be so set that theopenings will all correspond in like sides of the cylinders or, in otherwords, will be all in one direction. The effect of this opening is toallow sand and gravel from outside the tubular body to run into the sameto be removed by the chain-andbucket conveyers with that dug up fromwith- 1 in. l exist on one side of the tubular body than on the other.Consequently as the tubular body descends it advances in a directiontoward the opening and much more material is removed than would be thecasew'here it is taken up from within the tubular body alone.

I employ a guide of convenient form within from the axis of theweight-wheel to prevent the chain-and-bucket conveyer swinging andscraping against the inner surfaces of the tubular body. For thispurpose I have shown a tube-sectionf and arms d therefrom to the axis ofthe weight-wheel d. When it is necessary to remove these tubular bodiesfrom one place to another to new fields, it is necessary to raise thesame or pull them out of the sand and gravel bottom. As a means foraccomplishing this I prefer to employ a collar h in two halves, (seeFig. 4,) the halves surrounding the tubular body and being provided withlugs and bolts at-6, by which they around the same. This collar isprovided with arms h, standing out horizontally, and these arms areadapted to rest upon pontoonfioats or upon air-inflated floats t. Wherethe air-inflated floats are employed, it is. prefer able to place beams7 along their upper surit is possible without disconnecting the platpassbeams beneath the said arms around the group of tubular bodies and putair-inflated with the rise of the tide the group of tubular bodies willbe elevated and may be floated away to a new place. I have also shown inFig. I by dotted lines rings 8,connected to the brackets 2 at the upperend of the tubular body f. A suitable tackle and power-raising devicemay be connected to these ringsfrom a vessel by which the tubular bodymay be removed to another locality.

I am aware that an apparatus has been emof earthy materials from wellsand the bottoms of bodies of water in which atu-be contained abucketconveyer actuated by an elevating device to operate the conveyeragainst its weight and that of the tube, the entire device, with thematerial collected, being terial, and I distinctly disclaim suchdevices. In my improvement the tubular body isv independent of thedevices for removing the materials, and it may be left in position toform a permanent well-inclosure.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination in a dredging apparatuswith a tubular inclosing body, of a chainand-bncket conveyer, asupporting-platform upon the upper end. of the tubular body, rotatingmechanism carried upon said platform This action permits a greaterpressure to floats beneath the beams at low tide, so that v 15 i 7 thetubular body, connected to and supported 9O are securely connected andclamped firmly v face, coming beneath the arms 71/, and where several ofthese tubular bodies-are connected V V form and the chain-and-bucketconveyers to no raised from the bed of sand and gravel and.

'115 V ployed for collecting and delivering samples T brought to thesurface to discharge the 'ma- 7 and supporting the chain-and-bucketconveyer and by which the same is operated, whereby with the operationof the conveyer and the removal of the material within and at the bottomof the tubular body, the same sinks by gravity, substantially asspecified.

2. The combination in a dredging apparatus, with a tubular inclosingbody, of a chainand-bucket conveyer, a supporting-platform upon theupper end of the tubular body, rotatin g mechanism carried upon saidplatform and supporting the chain-and-bucket conveyer, and by which thesame is operated, whereby with the operation of the conveyer and theremoval of the material within and at the bottom of the tubular body,the same sinks by gravity, and a guide and support at the lower loop ofthe bucket conveyer, substantially as specified.

3. In a dredging apparatus, the combination with a chain-and-bucketconveyer, asupport therefor and means for operating the same, of aweight-Wheel in the lower loop of the chain-and-bucket conveyer andaround which the lower portion of the same turns, a tubular bodysurrounding and inclosing the chain-and-bucket conveyer and theweightwheel and extending down through a body of water and resting inand upon the sand or gravel bottom of the same, substantially as setforth.

4. In a dredging apparatus, the combination with a chain-and-bucketconveyer, a support therefor and means for operating the same, of aweight-wheel in the lower loop of the chain-and-bucket conveyer andaround which the lower portion of the same turns, a tubular bodysurrounding and inclosing the chain-and-bucket conveyor and passing downthrough a body of water and resting in and upon the sand or gravelbottom of the same, and a guide connected to the axis of theweight-wheel and adapted to come adjacent to the inner surface of thetubular body to steady the chain-and-bucket conveyer, substantially asset forth.

5. The combination in a dredging apparatus with a chain-and-bucketconveyer and means for supporting and operating the same, of a tubuiarbody surrounding and inclosing the chain-and-bucket conveyer andextending down through a body of water and resting in and upon the sandor gravel bottom thereof, there being an opening in one side of the saidtubular body at or adjacent to the lower edge, substantially as setforth.

6. In a dredging apparatus, the combination with achain-and-bucketconveyer, a support therefor and means for operating the same, of aweight-wheel in the lower loop of the chain-and-bucket conveyer andaround which the lower portion of the same turns, a tubular bodysurrounding and inclosing the chain-and-bucket conveyer and passing downthrough a body of water and resting in and upon the sand or gravelbottom of the same,

anda guide connected to the axis of the weightwheel and adapted to comeadjacent to the inner surface of the tubular body to steady thechain-and-bucket conveyer, there being an opening in one side of thesaid tubular body at or adjacent to the lower edge, substantially as setforth.

7. In a dredging apparatus, a group of tubular bodies passing downthrough a body of water and resting in and upon the sand or gravelbottom thereof at their lower edges, means such as a platform forconnecting the said tubular bodies at their upper edges,chain-and-bucket conveyors passing down through the tubular bodies,supports therefor at the upper ends of the tubular bodies, and means foroperating the chain-and-bucket conveyors, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination in a dredging apparatus with a chain-and-bucketconveyer and means for support-ing and operating the same, of a tubularbody surrounding and inclosing the chain-and-bucket conveyer andextending down through a body of water and resting in and upon the sandor gravel bottom thereof, a clamp or collar surrounding the tubular bodyand having arms connected therewith and floats adapted to be placedunder the said arms for raising or supporting the tubular body,substantially as set forth.

9. The combination with an open-ended tubular body forming substantiallya well-in closure, of a chain-and-bucket conveyer extending down throughthe tubular body, a support above the tubular body and resting thereonfor the chain-and-bucket conveyer, and means carried by said support andindependent of the movements or position of the tubular body foractuating the chain-andbuoket conveyer, whereby the operation of theconveyer and the removal of the material within and at the bottom of thetubular body permit the same to sink by gravity and the conveyer andsupport to follow the tubular body, substantially as specified.

10. The combination in a dredging apparatus, with an open-ended tubularbody forming substantially a well-inclosure and extending down through abody of Water, and

resting in and upon and supported by thesand or gravel bottom thereof,of a chain-andbucket conveyer ext-ending down through the water withinthe tubular body and adapted to engage and automatically elevate thematerials at the bottom and bring the same up to the surface, a supportfor the said conveyer resting on the tubular body and means foractuating the same whereby the tubular bodysinks as the materiaLwithinis removed and the conveyor and support follow the tubular body,substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 1st day of March, 1900.

F. EOAUBERT.

' Witnesses:

GEO. T. PINOKNEY,

S. T. HAVILAND.

